First and Last Lines

Colin Harper

First and Last Lines

"This is the saddest story I have ever heard."

This was the first line I chose. It is the first line of The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. He was born on December 17, 1873 and died June 26, 1939. He is best remembered for The Good Soldier, which is widely recognized as one of the greatest 100 novels of all time. It was published in 1915.

 The Good Soldier is a novel of love, and a lack thereof. Within the novel, many characters have affairs. The main character, John, is married to Florence, who cheats on him with multiple people. She eventually commits suicide due to her affairs, as do many other characters in the story. The story is filled with sadness throughout.

I think that I probably wouldn't like this book, because it seems a little bit too sad for me. Also, the affairs part of the book isn't something that I would like to read about. Stuff like that makes me really angry, even if it is only fictional.

"Are there any questions?"

That is the final line of the Handmaid's tale by Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008). The story was published in 1987.

The story is of a dystopian society where the president and congress are overthrown by a terrorist group. The story is told through the viewpoint of a handmaid in the new society. She tells of her experience in the new government.

I don't think I would like to read this novel either. The plot that I read about it sounded exciting at first, but then it got really weird. I feel like the story would be hard for me to follow.